Ladders designed for use by military personnel in combat assaults must meet stringent design criteria. The ladders must be relatively light and, at the same time, withstand relatively high loads. These two competing concerns generally result in compromise solutions where strength is traded for a reduction in weight. Another major concern with the design of ladders for military and law enforcement personnel is that the ladder be collapsible into a compact condition. While collapsible ladders are known, they are generally unsuited for military purpose which require that the ladder be rapidly deployable.